Run and Hide
by Suna.Tenma
Summary: The lands of the Shinobi have made it illegal for children under 18 to use Ninja abilities, including jinchuuriki. So how will Gaara get by, forced to hide his deadly secret? And what will happen when he discovers there's someone just like him? GaaNaru
1. Life As I Know It

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

* * *

I sat perfectly still, stubbornly refusing to talk.

"Come on Gaara," Mrs. Mitarashi began. "I can wait all day if you'd like…" I could tell she was annoyed by my silence. The other children, however, merely ignored it. By now, they no longer expected me to speak.

The school counselor's office is fairly large, containing a desk and a round table large enough to seat herself and her eight "patients". This place was my second home. Despite my complaints, I was forced to spend my 6th period here every day, with Mrs. Anko Mitarashi, and eight other students that had also been labeled as, "mentally unstable." Everything about this room was committed to memory, since I often stared at the room itself rather than the people in it. I could never forget those soft blue walls and dirty cream carpet, all of which I had grown to hate.

The counselor sighed, a few students yawned. The tick of the clock seemed to get louder, but still I sat, refusing to answer her question.

Finally, she gave up.

"Alright." She sighed, turning to the next victim. "So Shino, what is your greatest fear?" The students took turns answering questions and revealing their secrets, skipping me whenever it came to my turn.

A bell rang, reverberating off the soft blue walls I had been glaring at, and I stood slowly, gathering my things from under my chair.

"Remember what we talked about children!" Anko called, but no one paid any attention. Class had ended, and they were free; at least until tomorrow.

There were five minutes until the next class began, which just so happened to be right across the hallway. The teacher had not yet arrived (5th period is his planning period) and so I was left with nothing to do but linger in the halls. Leaning against the wall, I watched people pass, some hurrying past me, others ignoring me completely. But none bothered to speak to me.

It didn't bother me; it was my own fault things were like this anyways. They feared me, and I loved making them squirm. It seemed that ever since I was six, I have pushed people away, insisting on solitude. I made the mistake of trusting people once, and I vowed never to do it again.

…x…X…x…

An hour later I was on the bus; in the very back as always. My stop is the very last stop on my route, so it takes about half an hour to get home. Normally during this time, I'll read, but today I finished my book with still 20 minutes to go.

Only a handful of kids had gotten off so far, so the bus was still mostly full. They all chatted loudly with their friends, some even going as far as to yell at other students from across the bus.

I narrowed my eyes; How obnoxious.

With nothing to occupy my mind, I laid my head on my backpack and closed my eyes, trying desperately to block out the chaos. But nothing helped. The yelling and screeching only seemed to get worse…

By the time my stop finally came, I was anxious to be out in the open again. I nearly tripped down the stairs as I stepped off the bus, catching myself quickly before I lost my balance. As I approached my house, I remembered that it would be empty; thanks to Temari's cross-country practice and Kankuro's date. I shook my head. _What Kankuro sees in that Ino girl I'll never know…_

The house was dark inside, and the silence seemed to amplify my footsteps. I flipped on a light though, extinguishing the shadows as I stepped into the kitchen and began to dig through the fridge. I chuckled, remembering the rumor about me storing bottles of blood in the freezer to use with my cereal. Of course, they weren't true, but it was funny to think that some people had actually believed it.

After retrieving an orange, I began to peel it absentmindedly, slowly heading upstairs to my room. I might be "mentally unstable", but I still had homework to do, just like everybody else. But then I remembered that it was algebra. _Ugh… Algebra._ An hour later, I had made absolutely no progress. I rolled my head backwards, groaning in spite of myself, when I heard a muffled slamming, and I knew that someone had just come home.

Excited to have a diversion from algebra, I jumped up and ran across my room, flinging the door open and dashing down the stairs, skipping two at a time. But by the time I had reached the front room, I had composed myself. Temari stood just inside the doorway, hanging her coat up on the hook that belonged to her, when she noticed me standing there.

"Oh! Hey Gaara." She greeted my cheerfully.

"Hey." I replied, noticing her exceptionally cheery mood. Normally after practice, she was tired and grumpy. But today, she was different… "Good practice?"

"Well, no better than normal." Her voice conveyed that _something_ had been better than normal…

"Then why so bubbly?" I questioned, filling my voice with fake curiosity. If I was being honest with myself, I really didn't care what had happened. But it made Temari happier if I took interest in her day, and while I refused to let myself become attached, it's never a good idea to piss off the one who works the kitchen.

"Well…" She accentuated, obviously leading into something quote-unquote interesting. "Kiba asked me out."

"That's good. So, when are you two going out?" I pried, for the sole purpose of knowing when I should expect to have family members at home.

"Tomorrow at 6. He's taking me to the movies. We're seeing Supirittsu no Akuma. It's supposed to be really scary!!" She babbled, and I put up a hand to stop her.

"Great. Now tell me… what's for dinner?"

…x…X…x…

After an excellent dinner, it was soon almost 11 o'clock, and Kankuro still had not returned from his date. An angry Temari was pacing by the front door, muttering to herself about "breaking curfew" and "slutty girlfriends".

By midnight, Temari finally decided to go to bed. Of course, she did not know that I was awake, listening to her anxious footsteps and bitter words. None of my family knows the secret of my insomnia. Every night I head to my bedroom at a reasonable hour and lie in bed, pretending to be asleep until they themselves decide to hit the hay. You see, even if I were to tell them about my insomnia, they would never believe what caused it. Let me start at the beginning…

About thirteen years ago, the people of my village, Suna, decided that children under the age of 18 should not be entrusted with the shinobi abilities. (Whether or not this had to do with my birth is unknown, but sometimes I wonder…) Outraged by the new law, my brother, sister and I moved to Konoha, where children were still allowed to practice in the ninja arts. But Konoha soon followed in Suna's footsteps, and banned all children under the age of 18 from using jutsus. With no where left to go, we decided that the law was unavoidable, and so we stayed. But all the while, I had never told anyone about the demon inside of me. My parents of course knew, but both of them are now dead. Not even my former-trainer Baki had known my horrible secret. But why, you ask, did I not tell even my own family? Because; after the underage shinobi law was passed, those children that posses Kekkai Genkai or tailed demons had a jutsu performed upon them, stripping them of their powers. Those with Kekkai Genkai merely had their bloodline de-activated, and could be re-activated once they turned 18. But those with demons sealed inside of them… were locked away.

So no one ever knew of my secret, not even my own brother or sister. And I was forced to hide my odd traits: My insomnia, my ability to control sand, and my ability to transform into a Tanuki. But the most difficult to hide were the dark rings around my eyes. I insisted to my sister that it was only eyeliner, but I don't think she really ever believed that. Either way, she's never asked me about it, so it must not seem that important.

After I was sure that Temari was asleep, I tiptoed out of my room and quietly down the stairs. I sat on the couch, playing with the remote as I flipped through channel after channel of infomercials. Around 1:45, a bright light flooded through the window, and I smirked. Kankuro was home.

I hastily switched the TV off and turned off all the lights, hoping he hadn't noticed they had been on. Crossing the room silently, I positioned myself right in front of the door, about 10 feet away, trying to hold back laughter. Like I said before; I love to make people squirm.

Slowly, the door opened, and a hesitant Kankuro peeked his head in. Of course he couldn't see anything; it was pitch black inside. He stepped in tentatively, and started tiptoeing towards the stairs, obviously heading for his room, when he walked right into me.

I smirked. "So, where have you been?"

* * *

R&R Please, Chapter 2 coming soon! 


	2. The Peculiarity

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

* * *

"Oh, uh, hey, um Gaara." Kankuro stammered. "I didn't think you'd be awake…"

"Where have you been?" I repeated harshly, my glare cutting through his calm.

"Oh, uh, you know, out…" His eyes shifted, avoiding me.

"With?" I pressed.

"Ino." He admitted.

"Oh. Well, Temari's pissed."

He rolled his eyes. "I figured she would be. Oh well, she just needs to loosen up. Maybe if she had a boyfriend of her own…"

"She's going out on a date tomorrow." I cut in, rather enjoying the shocked expression on his face.

"What!!" He yelled, forgetting that Temari was sleeping upstairs. "With who?"

"Kiba." I stated simply. He ground his teeth together and closed his eyes, running his fingers through his hair.

"Kiba huh?" He confirmed, after composing himself. I nodded. "Well Kiba better be careful with my sister, or else I'll…"

"Kankuro please, Temari can handle herself." I rolled my eyes, turning away. Temari was the oldest of us all, and thus had elected herself, "Head of the house." Kankuro and I didn't complain: she would have done the cooking, cleaning, and worrying even if we hadn't given her that title. This only gave her a little more control, but it didn't matter, we usually listened to her anyways, unless it was an outrageous demand, which we wouldn't follow anyways, whether she was "Head of house" or not.

He nodded and brushed past me, disappearing into the shadows. Once he was out of earshot, I sighed. Now there was nothing to do. I returned to sitting on the couch, lazily flipping through channels that I knew wouldn't interest me.

"Um, Gaara?" My jaw tightened, and I froze. I hadn't realized anyone was awake. It was almost 3 am now. Regaining my composure, I turned.

"Yes?" I called, seeing that it was Temari. She was standing at the top of the stairs, staring at me as if she expected me to have a seizure at any moment.

"What are you doing up this late?" She asked, her voice full of concern. I groaned internally. I hated worrying Temari.

"I, uh, couldn't sleep." I almost laughed at my little joke.

"Well, watching TV isn't going to help. Now get to bed." She ordered, voice full of the obvious worry she tried so desperately to conceal.

"Alright," I groaned, pulling myself to me feet. When I reached her at the top of the stairs, I gave her a confused look. "What are _you_ doing awake, Temari?"

"Oh, it's… nothing, just a bad dream. Now get to bed, Gaara. I'll see you in the morning." She waited for me to get into my bedroom before closing my door and slinking down the hallway to her room. I didn't hear her door shut, and I knew she had left it open to make sure I didn't get up again. I exhaled loudly and plopped down on my bed, sinking deep into the plushy comforter that sharply contradicted my mood.

_Good thing it's only a few hours 'till morning… _

…x…X…x…

The next morning I "woke up" around 5 am. One good thing about insomnia: you never sleep in.

Of course I was the first one in the bathroom, (the only one in the house) and I was in and out of the shower in about 10 minutes. My whole morning routine took less than an hour, and I was dressed and ready before anyone else was even awake.

Temari woke up around 6:15, and Kankuro finally came around at 7:20. Our bus comes at 7:30.

Of course Temari was busy getting ready the whole hour-and-fifteen minutes that she had. So she barely noticed that Kankuro still wasn't awake at 7:15.

"Gaara, where's Kankuro?" She shouted over the roar of the hairdryer. I looked up from my Algebra absently.

"Hm? Oh, I think he's still asleep…"

"WHAT!?!" She screamed, appalled. "WELL GO WAKE HIM UP!" I could have sworn the house shook with her anger.

"Fine, fine, just calm down." I encouraged, pushing my chair away from the kitchen table and standing up, stretching my back. "I'll go wake him up."

I thought I heard her tell me to "hurry", but I couldn't tell over all the commotion. I knocked quietly on Kankuro's door once, then pushed it open. He was lying on his bed sideways, feet hanging off onto the floor. His blanket was covering less than 10 of him, but he was still fully clothed; in the same outfit he had worn to his date with Ino last night.

"Hey Lazy-ass." I yelled, louder than necessary now that the hairdryer had stopped its earsplitting shriek. "Its 7:20, get up."

He rolled over, mumbling incoherently. Rolling my eyes, I crossed the room and grabbed his shoulders unsympathetically, yanking him off the bed and onto the floor.

"OUCH! What the hell Gaara!?!" He yelled, fuming. I gave him a look that said, "What did you expect?" and scoffed. Kankuro sat up, still glaring, and reached under his bed to retrieve a sweatshirt that he lazily pulled over his head. His hair was a mess, and I couldn't help but laugh. He groaned and pulled himself to his feet.

I was making my way downstairs, followed by Kankuro, when Temari stepped out of the bathroom and stopped us.

"Kankuro?! Aren't you going to brush your teeth, or at least comb your hair?" She asked incredulously.

"Um, no." Kankuro stated, as if that should be obvious.

"Ugh, gross."

Kankuro shrugged, and he and I continued our march down the stairs.

…x…X…x…

By 7:30, we were all on the bus, Temari in the front with her friend Tenten, Kankuro close behind them, (asleep again) and myself in the back. I still didn't have a new book, so I listened to my MP3 player on the way there.

When I got to school, I went to my homeroom as usual. And also as usual, I was the first one in the classroom. But when I looked around, I saw that another student was sitting down too. It was unusual to see someone in the classroom when we still had 15 minutes 'till the final bell. As I studied him, I couldn't seem to place a name with his face. I continued to stare, racking my memory for a name that might go with this freshman's face.

Almost as if he had been called, he looked up, and saw me watching him. I dropped my gaze immediately, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Things like that were often taken the wrong way.

But soon the class was filled with students, and I could no longer see the boy that I couldn't figure out.

Mr. Aburame called the class to order, and they immediately silenced. Shibi Aburame was famous for his insect-related punishments. And no one wants to be on the wrong end of a kikaichu swarm.

Mr. Aburame announced that today we were working in groups of two. The chatter began instantly as students called out to one another, rushing to their friends and clinging to one another's arms, claiming them as their own.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Mr. Aburame interrupted. "We have a new student joining us today." He gestured to the boy I had been watching earlier and instantly explained why I couldn't recognize him. "Please, introduce yourself."

The blonde stood, no signs of fear on his face as his classmates stared intently.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He proclaimed. Despite his confident stance, his voice shook with fear, buried beneath ounces of determination, but still detectable. I cocked my head to the side. This Naruto kid was confusing. He looked so confident, but why was he afraid?

Mr. Aburame was not one partial to long introductions, and he nodded his head once. "Thank you Naruto, you may be seated. Would anyone volunteer to be in Naruto's group for today?" No one raised their hand.

This was to be expected. No one wanted the "new kid" in their group. He was a peculiarity, and by their standards, he was not acceptable. Naruto hung his head, obviously feeling rejected. I felt pity for him, and then something hit me. I didn't have a group, and heaven knows no one will ever work with me. If I didn't volunteer, the teacher would just do it anyways. It was inevitable. Might as well make the kid feel good in the process.

The whole class gasped. Even the teacher looked surprised.

"Well uh, Gaara," The jonin stammered. "Thank you for volunteering. Naruto, you can grab your things and move over to sit by Gaara." Silently, Naruto stood, books in hand, and crossed the room to my desk. The surrounding students whispered amongst each other, acid against his skin. I might have the mental-stamina to brush off their whispers and snide comments, but this boy obviously didn't. He flinched away from their harsh words, most of which weren't whispers at all, merely painful words aimed right at the hole in his chest where his heart was supposed to be. But something in his eyes told me that there were scars in that place that ran deeper than just inconsiderate classmates.

He took his seat next to me in silence, but after the teacher dismissed us to our work he shocked me to my core. By turning to face me, and starting to talk.

Normally, people don't talk to me at all, so this was a shock to my system in itself. But of course, he was new, and didn't know the rumors and such that most every other student did. But just the fact that he talked did not surprise me, it was the passion with which he talked that I could not believe.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you!... What was your name again?"

* * *

Please Review, it really gives me determination to keep writing.

I'll try and update soon!


	3. I Win

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

Yeah, sorry it's so short, but that's the way life goes.

* * *

"Uh, Gaara." I answer, slightly dazed.

"Okay Gaara, so what are we doing today?" I then launched into a basic explanation of today's assignment. Soon after, we were finished, long before anyone else.

"So," he began, obviously uncomfortable with silence. "Why were you staring at me earlier?"

My jaw tightened. So he had seen me staring… damn.

"Oh!" I chuckled, attempting to laugh it off. "I was trying to place a name with your face, you know, see if I recognized you."

He blinked, obviously confused. "But… I'm new. You wouldn't know my name."

"I know that now," I reminded him sternly. "But I didn't know that then. I thought maybe you were just a student I hadn't noticed before."

"Oh." He let it drop, but I could tell there was something he hadn't said.

Before long, the teacher came by to check out work, (which was of course, correct) and complimented us.

"You two make great partners." He commented. I flushed bright red and lifted my hand, running it through my hair, hoping to shield my face.

Other students were slowly finishing their projects too, and the room was soon filled with chatter. Mr. Aburame cleared his throat, instantly silencing the young freshmen.

"Alright, homework for tonight. Read chapters 1-3 of 'Legends of the First Hokage' and tomorrow, we'll discuss sources and their credibility." A loud bell cut him off, sending students rushing off in all directions.

As I was putting my things in my bag, expecting to be the last one to leave (as usual), I heard the shuffling of feet behind me. Startled, I looked up to see… Naruto. He was smiling down at me, and I sat there, staring at him like a moron. His look became puzzled, and I'm sure he was wondering why I was staring at him… again. I forced myself back to reality.

"Uh, yes, Naruto? What is it?" He blinked and his smile returned. I was confused still, though. Why was this guy here?

"Oh, I wanted to know which lunch you have." He smiled eagerly, and I had to wonder, why did he care?_ He doesn't… want to be friends with me, does he? There's no way... _I thought stubbornly. It didn't matter either way, and I knew that. I would never let him into my life anyways. But since there were only 2 lunch periods, it wouldn't do much good to lie since he would just find out on his own anyways.

"2nd." I replied, keeping my expression blank and my tone concealing. "Here, let me see your schedule." I replied warmly, extending a hand to reach for the paper he held in his. He handed it over gladly, and our hands brushed lightly. I doubt he noticed, but I did. I was not used to human contact, accidental or not, and I shivered involuntarily. But something deep inside me told me that if it had been anyone else, it would not have made me shiver. Only Naruto…

I compared the two schedules.

Gaara...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...Naruto

1) Mr. Shibi Aburame – History...x...x...x...x..Mr. Shibi Aburame – History

2) Mr. Kakashi Hatake – Health...x...x...x...x.Mr. Iruka Umino – Science

3) Mr. Might Guy – Writing...x...x...x...x...x...Mr. Kakashi Hatake – Health

4) LUNCH...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...x...LUNCH

5) Mr. Hayate Gekko – Core Math 2...x...x..Mrs. Kurenai Yuhi – Core Math 1

6) Mrs. Anko Mitarashi – Counseling...x...x..Mrs. Anko Mitarashi – Counseling

7) Mr. Iruka Umino – Science...x...x...x...x...Mr. Asuma Sarutobi – Literature

"Looks like we have 1st, lunch, and 6th together. Wait, you're in counseling?" I looked up, surprised. This boy seemed so, normal, so average. Maybe he was not all that he appeared to be.

"Oh, yeah. Anyways," I noted that he seemed desperate to change the subject, and let it drop without argument. "See you at lunch." And he dashed off to his next class; Science with Iruka. Iruka always liked students to be on time, and sometimes came down very hard on those who were late. The exact opposite of my 2nd period teacher, Kakashi, the copy ninja himself. I could take as long as I wanted to get to his class; he was almost always 5 minutes late, if not ten. But, Mr. Aburame did have a 2nd period class waiting, so I obviously had to be out before the final bell or Mr. Aburame would write me up.

I had finally collected my books and left the class, taking my sweet-ol-time getting to Kakashi's room. It was a quiet walk, (the late bell had rung, and the halls were empty) and I allowed my thoughts to wander. And when they were finally set free, they immediately drifted to a certain blonde ninja.

I wondered if he had made it to class on time, and I wondered what Mr. Iruka was preaching about this time. Also, I thought about where he might sit, and if he had found anyone to sit by him. I found myself worried. Worried that he might find someone else to sit by, and then forget about me at lunch. I immediately banished the thought, reminding myself that trusting people led to nothing but disaster, and I had had enough of that for one lifetime. So it was with a heavy heart that I reached Mr. Hatake's room, still thinking about that one person who had shown an interest in my friendship. _Why am I torturing myself like this?_ I asked myself over and over again. He and I could never be friends. Not because of him, or anything he's done, but because of my own damn fear. Fear of being hurt, fear of being thrown aside, fear of being… unwanted. Rejecting people was my little way of saying, "I'll hurt you before you hurt me. I win." But as I suddenly saw how much it really hurt me to have to push everyone away, I had to ask, "What am I really winning?" I froze, in the middle of the hallway, as I suddenly realized: I wasn't winning anything.

I was loosing everything.

* * *

Okay, I hope you liked it. I know, my stories move really slowly... but that's the way I am, sorry. When I try to make things go faster... it gets _really_ bad.

Anyways, please review. Compliment if you liked it, criticize if you hated it, or just drop in to say, "Hey, I'm still out here and I'm still reading." Why? Because it makes me happy.

Much Love, Suna.Tenma

(PS) Sorry for the horrible schedule setup, but the site kept editing my typing so that the words bunched together. That x and dot pattern was the only thing I could get to work! Sorry!!!


	4. Anxious

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

* * *

By now, I was no more than 5 feet from Mr. Hatake's door, and as usual, a large crowd of students were congregating around the locked door. 

He arrived only four minutes late today, a surprise to us all, and class was soon underway. But time passes very slowly when you are waiting for something… or rather, someone. And it seemed like hours before he bell finally rang, and I sprang from my seat, anxious to get to Gai's room, as if getting there sooner would make lunch hour come faster. But when I was halfway out the door, I stopped, forcing students behind me to shove their way past me, grumbling insults as they did.

_Doesn't Naruto have Kakashi for his 3rd period?_ _If I wait long enough, I'll eventually see him on his way over from Iruka's room. _I placed myself on the wall to the right of Kakashi's door, waiting restlessly for the blonde ninja to arrive.

With less than a minute until the final bell, and still no sign of Naruto, I reluctantly began to head to my next class. I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten to see my best friend, but I knew that I would see him at lunch. And that made everything better.

Gai was lecturing just as passionately as ever, and I paid him little to no attention. While I enjoyed creative writing, the subjects Gai-sensei chose for us were village-required assignments, and were therefore boring as hell. I wanted to write about adventure, death, and sacrifice. Not which Kage I would like to have a private interview with. But today's writing assignment was… different.

Today, our assignment was to write about the most influential person in our life. I groaned, earning me glares from across the room. But Gai continued to preach as if uninterrupted.

I absolutely hated writing this type of nostalgic essay. Considering my background, this story was likely to be depressing, for both the reader and myself. But mostly just for me. Because by far, the most influential person in my life had been my uncle, Yashamaru.

Even though I constantly pretended to be blank of emotion, I had always felt pain. I constantly wondered what would have happened if Yashamaru had not... done the things that he did. Would I have grown up a normal child; one that had normal friends, and normal emotions? Or would someone else have done the exact same thing? But it didn't matter, because the past is the past, and that can never be changed. That doesn't mean that it still can't keep you awake at night, though.

Gai's class was taking forever to end, and since I refused to begin working on my rough draft, I had nothing to do. The tick of the clock pounded in my ears, taunting me, as if it was purposely going as slow as possible, just to keep me from my Naruto.

…

_I just called him my Naruto, didn't I?_

Needless to say, I was quite shocked with myself. So I make a friend, and suddenly they belong to me? But I guess, in a way, I always knew that if I ever got into a friendship or a relationship, I would have to be the dominant one. I could never roll over and be controlled. I liked to be in control, I liked to be on top…

In that instant, I mentally forced myself to change the subject. Once again, I turned my focus onto the clock. 5 minutes later, I couldn't even tell that it had moved. _It's going too slow! _I screamed in my head, slowly feeling myself going insane. I felt as if I was the second hand, my heart beating along with it, my breathing mimicking its movement. I was so absorbed in the second hand that I practically jumped four feet in the air when the bell finally rang.

It took a second for me to register what had happened. But when I remembered what the bell meant, I was out of my seat in an instant, and I remembered why I had been waiting so fervently for the bell to ring. It was because the bell meant the end of classes, and the beginning of lunch. But more importantly, it meant seeing Naruto.

After my recent enlightenment, I was now anxious to see him; anxious to experience friendship without the worry of appearing weak. Before, no one had ever really known what I was thinking. It made you vulnerable to attack. But not that I saw that no one was attacking me, I was unafraid. I could comfortably tell my friend what I was thinking. And it would be okay.

I burst into the cafeteria, quickly scanning the room for any traces of the spiky haired blonde. It only took a few seconds for me to realize that he wasn't there. But I felt a tap on my shoulder and quickly spun around, seeing Naruto grinning at me. I smiled, relieved.

"Hey, Gaara." He greeted me, still grinning. "So, should we find a place to sit?"

"Wait, you don't want to get in line?" I asked, perplexed.

"Nah, I'm not really hungry today." He replied simply, I shrugged, and began scouring the cafeteria for an available table. I found one that was deserted and dragged my friend over to it, taking our seats.

"Oh, crap!" He exclaimed suddenly. I cocked my head to the side, indirectly asking him what was wrong. "I left my binder in Kakashi's room. I gotta go get it, be right back." With that he stood, and flew out of the room. I was about to come with him, but he was already out the door. So I leaned back in my chair, sighing. I'd just have to sit here and wait for him to get back…

...x...X...x...

15 minutes later, Naruto still had not returned.

I didn't understand. Where could he be? _He has to come back sometime… Why wouldn't he?_ Was he avoiding me? Why would he do that? I was starting to get worried.

A few people were looking at me, just sitting all alone at a table, and some where whispering to their friends, though I wouldn't have been able to hear them anyways. But I ignored it. As it turned out, I didn't really care what they thought.

_He's… not coming back. _I whispered in my head. I was angry. Not with him, but with myself. That I had actually trusted someone. Whenever you put trust in anything, you run the risk of being let down. And that's exactly what happened. It was the way of the world.

I shook my head, whispering to myself, "No." I lifted my gaze, determined. "I've come too far to just give up hope." I rose from my seat swiftly, and strode out of the cafeteria. There was no reason for him not to come back, and I found it hard to believe that he was taking so long on purpose. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing, I was going to find him.

* * *

Okay, as always, Review please! 

And now, something I've been meaning to do... replying to my reviewers!! I'll try and do this every chapter or so. So you guys feel appreciated too!!

**marsnmonkey:** I felt bad for Naruto too. It only get's worse from here...

**Mako-oneechan:** Yeah, GaaNaru isn't all that popular, but there are some great fics out there! Check out my fav's list for some good ones.

**xXdeath-noteXx:** Thanks for the long reviews!! 3 (And my oneshot is up) Yes, counseling... dun dun dun

**supersexyninjajunjun:** Thankies! x)

**madd envy freak:** Naruto can cheer anyone up!!

**biggestboss:** Thanks so much! You give great reviews!

**kyuubbi-kun XD:** Thanks, I'm glad I'm holding your interest!

Luff Luff... Suna.Tenma


	5. Blood Lust

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

Sorry it's so late! I was recently attacked by a massive load of homework…

* * *

First, I went to Kakashi's room, for obvious reasons. I had only known Naruto for a few short hours, and I already knew that he **loved** to talk. I assumed that he had just gotten wrapped up chatting with someone and lost track of time. 

But when I finally reached Kakashi's room and tried the door, it wouldn't budge. _Locked. _All the lights were off in the room, and I could just barely make out the figure of Naruto's binder on a nearby desk through the window in the door. _So Naruto must have come here and seen his binder locked inside… _I contemplated, imagining what Naruto would do next. _…And gone looking for Kakashi. _I groaned, rolling my eyes dramatically. Everyone knew that Kakashi leaves campus during lunch… everyone except the new kid.

With only 10 minutes 'till lunch period ended, I had to hurry if I wanted to find him before 5th period. I had no idea where a new student might go to look for a teacher, and knowing Naruto, I assumed that he wouldn't have even thought to check the office, and probably just decided to walk the halls hoping to run into him. So that's exactly what I did. I wandered the halls, praying that luck was on my side and I would happen to bump into Naruto.

I was in the science hall. I had just finished scanning the hallway and was about to turn around when I noticed something. One of the lockers was open, and right below the door, in the space between it and the floor, I could just make out… a speck of orange. _What is he doing sitting on the ground? _I asked myself, rushing towards him.

"Hey Naruto!" I called, drawing closer and closer to the place where he sat. But I got no response, and what little portion of his figure I could see seemed to have no reaction to my voice at all. I finally reached him, and I bent down to ask him why he was sitting on the ground. But before I could even open my mouth, I choked on my words.

He was bleeding. Really badly.

My mouth dropped a fraction of an inch, and I tried to suppress my panic. Blood was running from Naruto's head, and his shirt looked like it had been burned. There were scorch marks all along his clothing, and some of his hair was burnt as well. It overwhelmed me, and I felt my heartbeat pounding in my chest, going faster and faster as I realized the extent of the damage. But the injuries alone were not what startled me; it was his eyes.

They were red, deeper red than possibly his bloodstained shirt. His chest was rising and falling with his harsh breaths, and his teeth were gritting together so forcefully! That's when I noticed his teeth… they weren't normal teeth. They were different… His canine teeth were just that; canine. They were long and pointed, so sharp they looked like they belonged on a wolf instead of a human. And his eyes… They lusted for blood, and they would do anything to get it. They just wanted revenge. So much hate, so much anger. I could have never imagined it coming from the noisy perky kid I met in first period.

"N-Naruto?" I whispered, trying to hide my hysteria. "What happened to you?"

Either he ignored me, or didn't even realize I was there. But he continued to stare into oblivion with hate radiating from his eyes so intensely it almost burned. He was shaking slightly, and it suddenly dawned on me that he might be going into shock.

"Naruto, can you hear me?" I said, louder this time. Still, his body remained the same, but this time, he talked to me.

"I'll kill him…" He growled through gritted teeth, fangs clenching together. His hands were pulled into tight fists, and they too, were shaking. At first, I thought he was shaking from fear, but then I knew. He was shaking with excitement. He really wanted to kill this guy. And by looking at his face, his teeth, his eyes… he probably could.

For the first time, he started moving, and it looked like he was trying to stand up. Quickly, I reached out and pressed my hands onto his shoulders, forcing him back down. He collapsed under the pressure, and slowly tipped his head up, looking at me with those same hateful eyes. But now, he was smirking.

"Trying to stop me huh?" He challenged, voice dark and threatening. "Don't get in my way Gaara," he continued, lowering his voice to barely a whisper. "You don't stand a chance."

Shocked, I pulled my hands to my chest, like a child pulls their hands away after touching a hot stove. And though I'll never admit it, in that moment, I was truly frightened. My eyes were wide, but involuntarily, I blinked. And when my eyes reopened, he wasn't there.

_What the hell?_ I spun around, looking up and down the halls again and again but to no use; he was gone. He was off to find that boy… and he was going to kill him.

For a moment, I sat there. I seemed frozen in time, my mind racing but my body standing still. Somewhere in my head, I knew that I needed to move, but I couldn't find my legs. I felt numb all over, like I wasn't even alive. I screamed at myself to move, but my body wouldn't respond.

_Naruto. He… he's going to kill that guy. I have to stop him. Get up Gaara, GET UP!_

Shakily, I rose to my feet, clinging to the wall for support. _Okay… that's it, c'mon Gaara, you can do this…_ I encouraged, taking a few slow steps toward the exit. Gradually, I could feel my strength returning. I quickened my pace, transforming my slow limp into a forceful jog. Soon I was running, dashing through the hallways, searching for any sign of the murderous blonde. I was starting to think that he had left the school completely when I heard a scream.

It wasn't the scream I expected though; it was a woman's scream. Was he attacking other people now too?

I sprinted to where I thought the scream was coming from, praying that I would make it in time. _Please god…_ I begged, desperately pushing myself to run faster. _Don't let it be too late._

* * *

Sorry for the cliffhanger, and I'm soooo sorry it's late!!! My math teacher is being a... mean... person... and giving us a lot of homework. 

Please Review, it doesn't have to be anything special. You can just say, "great" or "crappy" if you want.

**madd envy freak:** No, it's a lot more depressing than that. XP

**Valkyrie Nienna Helyanwe:** Well, I'm glad that you love me but I'm afraid there's someone else... jk

**xXdeath-noteXx:** I'm sooo sorry that I didn't update soon!!! Forgive me!

**naash:** Hey thanks, I think I'm all set for plot ideas. The problem is finding the time to get them on paper!!

**Shadow of Darkness 22:** Thanks soooo much for reviewing!

And before you leave, I'd like to (once again) apologize for the late update! It'll never happen again! And if it does... well, what do YOU think is a good punishment?


	6. Crying In Pain

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

* * *

I burst into the south hallway, not knowing what to expect. But this was defiantly not it. 

A boy with black hair was standing in the corner, smirking as if he held the entire world in his hands. He was wearing loose jeans and a deep blue sweatshirt with the Uchiha clan symbol below his left shoulder. This was obviously the boy that had attacked Naruto in the hallway; Uchihas specialize in fire jutsus.

Naruto stood crouching about 10 feet away, glaring at the boy, fangs bared. But he had changed since I had last seen him. Now, 2 bright orange chakra tails curled menacingly back and forth, dancing like snakes of malice.

3 teachers (Asuma, Shibi, and Hayate) were circled around him, already forming hand seals.

The tails swayed ferociously as Naruto took a few steps toward his prey, but the Uchiha showed no signs of fear. He made it look like he dealt with murderous demons on a daily basis.

"Naruto, don't be stupid!" Asuma called; a pointless attempt at calming the beast.

"Yea Naruto" the boy hissed, smirk widening into a devilish grin. "Don't be stupid. You could never beat me."

A roar erupted from Naruto's throat, and he screamed at the sky in pain, a pain I knew very well. It was filled with anger, frustration, and sorrow. It echoed throughout the hall, reverberating off the ceiling, walls and floor, amplifying the terrible cry. Finishing his howl, he pulled his head down and locked eyes with the Uchiha. Then, without warning, he threw himself at his prey in an unbelievable flash. But I was faster.

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

Naruto flung himself at the dark-haired boy, fangs bared and claws extended, aiming for the face of his prey. Without even thinking, I jumped in between them, arms crossed protectively in front of my chest. Of course I was worried about myself, but the risk seemed somehow… unimportant. I just couldn't let Naruto kill someone. Not here, not now.

Of course, none of the teachers had been expecting me to jump in there, so as soon as Naruto lunged, they activated their jutsus, sending a medley of fire, lightning, and wind right at the uncontrollable demon. Naruto knew the attacks were coming, but once again, wasn't prepared for me to get in the middle.

Cause and effect: Naruto avoids the attack, I get hit.

Or at least, that's how it would have happened.

Another thing that no one planned for: my sand shield.

Before the flame could even spark, my sand created an impenetrable dome, leaving Naruto, myself, and his prey alone in our own personal cage of darkness. I opened up a few tiny holes in the sand, allowing weak beams of light to penetrate the darkness. They fell delicately on the boy, the fox, and the one caught in the middle… me.

Naruto froze, stunned by the sudden darkness. He turned on me, his voice dripping with rage.

"Gaara! Get the hell out of my way!!" He screamed, deadly fangs glistening in the dim light.

I didn't reply. I just stood there, silent. The boy behind me stepped up suddenly, and he slowly lowered his mouth to my ear, his warm breath coming and going evenly, reflecting his calm heartbeat. _This hasn't even fazed him… _Cautiously, he began whispering in my ear.

"Why are you protecting me? This guy's weak, I can beat him, easy."

Still staring at the growling fox, keeping all emotion from my face, I composed myself just enough to answer. "I'm not doing this for you." I replied bluntly, surprising him slightly. "I'm doing this for him."

It didn't matter whether he understood or not, just as long as he stepped back and let me do what had to be done.

Naruto snarled, lowering himself into a fighting stance. I copied him, matching his stance with one of my own. But we were interrupted, as a sudden explosion rocked the hall, shaking the ground beneath us. _The teachers are trying to get in_. Panicked, the seconds ticking away, I knew that I didn't have much time until they broke through._ I'd better finish this soon… _

Taking advantage of my sudden distraction, Naruto threw himself forward, swerving around me and heading straight for the Uchiha. He extended his claws, screaming in anger as he got closer and closer to feeling the Uchiha's blood between his fingers. Shock colored my face, and I jumped over, once again putting myself between the fox and his prey. But this time, he didn't stop.

And as if I wasn't even there, he pushed his claws out further… and drove them right into my chest.

* * *

Yes, I know it's a cliff hanger. Don't worry, you'll live, I promise. 

So, as always, please review. You guys are my motivation!!

**Parade:** I'm so glad you read my story! Now maybe I'll return the favor and read some of yours! ;p

**Shadow of Darkness 22:** Yeah, my story is full of "the unexpected"... I hope. I'm not to obvious am I?

**frogger666:** Is someone going to die? Hehehe, I'll let you find out on your own...

**xXdeath-noteXx:** Thanks for the awesome review!!! I absolutely love it when they are long! I hope you had an okay time concentrating and my story wasn't too troublesome. -sweatdrop-


	7. Sleep

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

Sorry guys, but as some of you may know, I started another fic called "Repercussions" recently, so my writing time is probably going to be divided between that story and "Run and Hide". So I'm sorry but updates will probably happen less often. I'll still try and update at least once a week, though. But hey, one nice thing is that this chapter is pretty long, compared to the other ones. YAY!

P.S. I posted this really late at night so if there are ANY errors I am terribly terribly sorry and I will probably edit it in a few days.

* * *

At first I couldn't feel anything. I just stood there… frozen… numb. Naruto held perfectly still, claws like steel still trapped inside my chest. 

_Drip._

I tried not to look at it, but I couldn't help myself. Slowly, carefully, I lowered my head and stared down at the terrifying paw attached to my chest. Below that, I could see my crimson blood… soaking through my shirt and pooling on the floor. That's when I started to feel it.

My chest was on fire, tearing at me, shredding my sanity to pieces. I tried to hold back the panic as my breathing accelerated to a dangerous level, my heart pounding in my chest, sending a stabbing pain through my veins with every beat.

Naruto was still standing there, but his breath had quickened, and I could tell the realization was finally setting in. Then, without warning, he snapped his head up, locking eyes with mine.

"Gaara?" he whispered as his body began to shake. His claws quivered, slicing deeper into my chest with every movement. No matter how small the motion, I felt it, and it burned.

I tried to answer, but my throat felt tight. I couldn't speak. Naruto continued to stare, eyes wide with fear. I noticed that his fox-like features were slowly starting to fade away. His orange chakra shield had diminished to a weak glow, and his eyes were loosing there malicious glint. Also, his claws were shrinking, leaving an empty space in my tortured chest. Then suddenly, without thinking, he retracted his claws completely, ripping them from my chest.

Almost immediately, I bent over, clutching my sides, and coughed up a massive amount of blood. My breath was coming and going in short painful gasps, and my shirt was now completely soaked in blood.

"My god, Gaara!" Naruto screamed, as I slowly lost my balance and began to topple over. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around my chest, holding me up. Slowly, the world before me began to fade into darkness. I realized that I was suddenly very, very tired. As my consciousness began to slip away, so did the sand dome surrounding us. Light flooded in through the crumbling sand, extinguishing the darkness slowly but surely. My eyelids were starting to feel quite heavy, and I happily let them fall shut. The last thing I remember was Naruto calling out to me. "Gaara? Gaara, no! Gaara, stay with me, please, Gaara, please…"

…x…X…x…

When I came to, the first thing I noticed was a very annoying beeping noise. At first, I couldn't remember where I was or what was going on. One thing I did know was that my head hurt… really bad. And that beeping wasn't doing anything to help. Then slowly, like a movie playing before my eyes, it all came back to me.

Naruto… bleeding on the floor… the anger in his eyes… that damned Uchiha… the claws in my chest.

My eyes flew open, and I immediately sat up, reaching down to lift up my shirt.

My mouth dropped.

My entire chest was covered in blood-soaked bandages. I gasped, and the sharp intake sent a stabbing pain through my chest. I wrapped my arms around my chest tightly, groaning in pain.

_Damn that hurts._

Out of nowhere, a nurse comes through the door, bustling about the room, checking monitors and charts. It took almost 2 minutes for her to realize that I was staring at her.

"Oh!" She yelped, obviously surprised. "You're awake!" I just continued to stare blankly. "Well, I guess I'll go get the doctor so he can examine you." She said quickly. I don't even think she stopped to breathe. Then, she turned on her heel and walked out. I continued to stare at the place where she had stood, almost as if in a trance. _What the hell?_

A few minutes later, a tall balding man walked through the door, carrying a very professional looking clip-board.

"Well hello Gaara." He greeted calmly as he read some data from my chart. Then, turning to meet my gaze, he asked me how I felt.

"Um, well, my head hurts pretty bad, and so does my chest." I answered, not sure if that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Well, let's take a look at that shall we?" he prompted, slowly rising from his seat. After striding briskly over to my bed, he began, without warning, to lift up my shirt. I cooperated, though I normally would have argued. He was a professional, after all, and I had to trust that "doctor knew best." Of course, I'm sure it would help if I told him that there was a demon living inside of me…

Very carefully, he began to unwind the blood-stained bandages. After three minutes of un-rolling, I was starting to think that we would never reach the end, when finally, the last of the bandages was peeled away.

I gasped out loud. The wound was worse than I thought. Four huge gashes ran horizontally across my chest, and even though it had been almost an hour ago, they continued to ooze blood.

"Well, I think we'd better stitch those up now." The doctor concluded, puling out his pager and punching a few buttons.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. _How the hell did I manage to pass out? I… I can't be unconscious. Not with the Shukaku. Because if I am… Shukaku will eat my soul. No… no, I wasn't unconscious. I couldn't be… I wasn't!_

I wanted to ask the doctor, but of course, I couldn't tell him about Shukaku. At least not until I was eighteen.

That was when I remembered Naruto.

"Doctor!" I shouted, interrupting his important pager message. "What happened to Naruto?"

The doctor gave me a puzzled look, cocking his head to the side.

"Naruto." I repeated slowly, as if talking to a child. "The boy I checked in with… blonde hair, blue eyes?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor replied, sounding sincerely apologetic. "but the only boy that was checked in with you is registered under the name Uchiha Sasuke. There was no one else."

My heart stopped.

_What?_

"What do you mean?" I whispered, voice shaking with fear.

"Only you and Uchiha were admitted. Who's this Naruto kid?"

My vision blurred, angry tears welling up in my eyes. My hands clenched into fists. What did he mean, 'this Naruto kid'? Why wasn't Naruto in the hospital too? I couldn't understand… if he wasn't in the hospital… then where was he?

"Bring them in here… now." I ordered through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, bring who?" he asked, giving me that same dumb-ass look again.

"You KNOW who!" I scream, eyes blazing with rage. "Those damned teachers that brought me here!"

"Oh, well… okay." He mumbled, quite taken aback. He hesitated for a moment, locking eyes with me. I shot daggers at him, growling a bit, and he seemed to get the picture. Turning on his heel, he strode out of the room. Less than a minute later, a very pleased looking Hayate came strolling through the door.

"Gaara! Good to see you're finally…"

"Where the hell is Naruto!?" I shouted, cutting him off mid sentence. His face paled instantly, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Well, tell me!" I demanded, angry tears spilling over. I reached up to wipe them away, but they just kept coming down. I felt stupid trapped in this bed. Of course, I could have probably gotten up if I'd wanted to, but I was trying to keep myself under control.

"Well…" he sighed, crossing the room and sitting lazily on the foot of the bed. "We're not exactly sure what happened inside that dome. SO, as soon as it began to crumble, we rushed in. What we saw was Sasuke standing in the corner like he was enjoying himself, and in front of him was Naruto, cradling you in his arms. Surprisingly, he was almost back to normal; almost all signs of fox had disappeared. He was still glowing slightly, but other than that he was pretty human. But when he saw us coming, he dropped you, very carefully I might add, and took off. Asuma ran after him, but Naruto was still in fox mode, and there was no was Asuma could keep up. He lost sight of him in less than a minute. We haven't seen him since."

My eyes widened, and I almost choked. _He ran… away?_ I couldn't comprehend it. Naruto… gone. How weird that I had only just met him this morning, and already I couldn't imagine life without him. Which reminded me… I still had questions for Hayate.

"Hayate!" I exclaimed, pulling myself from my daze. "How long was I out?" I just had to know… in my situation, every second counts.

"Well…" his look turned brooding, and he began counting on his fingers; not a good sign. "Uh, maybe an hour?" he said, as if asking my rather than telling me.

I heaved a sigh of relief. Because whenever I sleep, or become unconscious, the Shukaku devours my personality, my being, my soul. The longer I sleep, the more I loose. Luckily, I still felt like myself. But I had never gone to sleep before… I didn't know what it felt like to have your soul eaten. So even if he did devour my soul… I didn't feel anything now. Which made me ask myself… would I even notice… if he completely took control? Would I even put up a fight?

I shook my head, banishing the thought. Desperately grasping at something to take my mind of the horribly thought… I asked Hayate another question.

"Hayate, the doctor said that Sasuke was checked in too. Why? He wasn't hurt." I asked, puzzled.

"Well, like I said Gaara," he replied calmly. "We couldn't see what happened in that dome. We didn't know if he was hurt or not, so we brought him in so the doctors could check him out and what not." That seemed reasonable… still, I was a little upset that Sasuke had gotten to the hospital, and Naruto hadn't.

"Now Gaara, can I ask you a question?" Hayate countered, surprising me slightly. I nodded. If he had answered all my questions, the least I could do was answer one for him.

"How did you create that sand dome? I didn't see you make any hand seals."

I froze. How was I supposed to explain that? What kind of jutsu could be activated without a hand seal?

"Um…" I stuttered, racking my brain for anything… anything I could say that would explain my unnatural abilities. "It's a Kekkai Genkai." I said slowly, enlightenment hitting me.

He gave me a puzzled look, and then I knew.

_Oh shit. Kekkai Genkai are illegal too._

"Hayate, you can't tell anyone!" I begged, internally kicking myself for not remembering that Kekkai Genkai were no more legal than imprisoned demons.

"Gaara, Kekkai Genkai are dangerous. Children shouldn't be using them." He argued in a fatherly tone.

"Please Hayate! I've never hurt anyone, and I never will! Hayate, please don't tell! You can't!" I hated having to beg. It made me feel to defenseless. And that was one feeling I never wanted to revisit.

"No Gaara, I'm afraid that's a secret I can't keep." He closed his eyes in a knowing way and rose to his feet, making his was to the door.

"Hayate, no!" I screamed, trying desperately to get out of the bed. But the cords and IVs were in my way, and I couldn't break free. So, doing the only thing I could, I called upon my sand, creating a solid wall of sand between Hayate and the exit. He turned to face me, eyes wide with shock.

"I'm sorry Hayate, but if this is the way it's going to be, I'm afraid I can't let you leave this room alive."

* * *

Okay guys, I hope everyone like it! Please Review, I absolutely luff it when people tell me how to improve.

**Shadow of Darkness 22:** I'll try to update soon!! D:

**Parade:** I know huh?? lawl

**IEatChicken:** Yea, I am known for doing unexpected things...

**xXdeath-noteXx:** I'm so sorry I kept you hanging for so long! Forgive me!! No, gaara didnt die this time, but you never know... lolz

**frogger666:** Again, I am sorry I kept you waiting so long!

**YamiTenshi:** Wow. Your reviews are so frickin hilarious. You and death-note both. And this isnt a lemon, but there may be some coughsuggestivenesscough and coughmakeoutscenescough later on.

**Shaay:** Thanks soo much for reviewing!!!

**CandyKitten91:** My friend Parade actually has a SasuNaru story called Chocolate out right now. You should check that out.

**Rejected Demon:** Oh don't worry, Sasuke is always stupid. No, i'm just kidding. But hey, thanks for taking the time to read my story!! Also, does your name by any chance have anything to do with Gaara or Naruto? Cuz they both are demons that pretty much got rejected by their society... Just wondering. XD


	8. Hopeless

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

* * *

(Author's Note) 

First off, I APOLOGIZE!!! Please don't kill me!!

Life has been a total trainwreck, and I've just completely lost my passion to write. I hope this is good enough. Personally, I think I could have done better, but hey, this was as best as I could come up with in my writer's block era.

For a change, I'm gonna do Review Replies BEFORE the chapter, for the sole sake of preserving the mood at the end of the story. You'll see why...

**Parade:** Thanks for reviewing! Luv ya!

**Shadow of Darkness 22: **Sorry for taking so long, and I'm glad you think my writing is descriptive!

**YamiTenshi: **I agree, murder is no longer the simple task it used to be. That's why I gave up being an assassin. Now I'm an author! XD

**hamfoot: **Aww! I'm so sorry I took so long to update! Send your laptop my apologies!!!

**EruLawliet: **(can't spoil story) : P

**frogger666:** Thanks so much for the review! I'll be lucky if you're still reading after a whole month of not updating! (I cant believe it's been that long!) : D

**Det.L Yagami:** ...O.O OMFG You're the writer of touch!!! I cant believe you actaully read my story! wow. Thank you sooooo much!!!

**XxX-Torturedsoul-XxX: **Sorry to keep you waiting! Glad you're liking the story though!

**Bakuras Pet:** Thank you so much for the review!!!

**Vimuku: **Hey, you only started reading this story a little while ago. At least you didn't have to wait a whole month like my poor other readers! TT

DONT FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!  
ESPECIALLY SINCE I WONT BE REMINDING YOU AT THE END!!!

P.S.  
No this is not the end of the story. I have one more chapter to go!

* * *

Hayate Smirked. "So… you think you can kill me huh?" he challenged. 

"Don't look so confident Hayate." I spat, glaring at him with hate-filled eyes. "You're in no position to be threatening anyone." He smiled, taking in my bed-ridden figure. But before he could say anything, I tore out the IVs, ripping the wires from their machines. I jumped angrily onto the cool laminate flooring, taking my usual stance.

He chuckled darkly, shaking his head from side to side; mocking me. As if this whole situation were… amusing to him. My eyes narrowed. How disgusting.

He locked eyes with me suddenly, and slowly, he whispered. "Go ahead and try me."

Growling, I wrenched my hand in a sweeping motion, sending sand rocketing towards him. He made some hand seals that I couldn't see, and mentally, I prepared myself for the worst.

But to my surprise, no jutsu came. Instead, right before my eyes, my sand was demolished. The waves receded, if only for an instant, and then the sand returned, crashing down on him with unbearable force. He raised his katana, slicing through it easily, interrupting its powerful movements. But the sand paused only for a moment before returning the attack with full force. My face remained blank as I threw my arms around in twists and turns, guiding the sand around the blade, leading it closer and closer to its prey.

Hayate was panting; he could barely keep up. Even for a ninja of his level, I was a tough opponent, and he couldn't take much more. I smirked, a dangerous glint in my sky blue eyes. Such an innocent color; how misleading.

He continued slashing, loosing speed with every swipe. Then, I saw my opening. The sand charged in, wrapping tightly around his body like a deadly cobra. He dropped his katana, gasping for air. I watched for an instant as he slowly realized that this was the end; that his life would end staring into the blood-thirsty eyes of the Demon of the Sand.

A look of triumph colored my face as I closed in for the kill, stepping just close enough to look him right in the eyes. It sent a chill down my spine, and I got slightly excited. I had always loved the kill. I grinned uncontrollably, and in a dramatic sweeping motion, I clenched my fist. It was over.

I felt no sympathy for him. After all, it had been his own decision to face me like that. And yet, I felt a slight sense of regret. A part of me almost wished… that it had ended differently. But I shook off the thought. After all, I had more important things to worry about. Number one being finding my Naruto.

And this time, I didn't argue with myself when I called him "my Naruto." I don't know why… but I had an uncontrollable urge to protect him. I couldn't explain it, and I didn't think anyone would ever understand, but I knew. He was my Naruto, and I had to find him, so I could see his face again, and know that he's safe.

With a wave of my hand, the sand shot straight at the brick to my right, shattering the wall and sending shards of red flying around the room. An ominous dust cloud arose, shielding me from view as a flurry of nurses and doctors rushed into the room. But I was already gone.

The one thing I loved about Konoha; forest everywhere. It was only a matter of seconds before I was out of the village and into the woods. I tried to focus on the sound of my footsteps, pushing silently off of the frail branches. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my mind off him. They knew he was a Jinchuuriki. They would be telling the other villages. They would be after him. He would never be allowed in Konoha again.

I tried to grasp the reality, but I just couldn't. My mind kept shoving the truth at me, but my heart kept pushing it away. If he couldn't come back to Konoha, what would happen? I couldn't leave Temari or Kankuro. But I couldn't leave Naruto either…

_What am I supposed to do?_

I stopped in mid stride, gripping the tree branch for support. What was going to happen when I found him anyways? I couldn't bring him back to Konoha. But I couldn't leave him either. My heart gave a sudden jolt, and I bent over, grabbing my sides. Looking down at my chest, I almost screamed. The whole thing was soaked in blood.

That was when I remembered; I never got those stitches. Damn.

My vision slowly began to blur.

_No!_ I screamed in my head, forcing myself to my feet again, pushing myself forward. _I've come to far... I have to find Naruto!_

I leapt through the trees, focusing all my attention on keeping my feet moving. If I stopped, even for one instant, I might never get going again. _Naruto… I promise, I'll find you. I can't die now. I won't! I never even got to see if you were okay…_

I could tell the blood-loss was starting to take its toll, and after that battle with Hayate, I was running low on Chakra. But I drove myself forward, refusing to give up. I had to keep going. But my vision was getting increasingly worse, and my coordination was going along with it. That was when it happened. My foot missed the branch.

Instantly, I started falling. The sand rushed around me, cradling me into a quiet landing on the soft forest floor. I lay there, begging my legs to get up. Praying, hoping that I could just find the strength… _Come on! Get up! No! I have to keep moving! _Silent tears slowly began falling as I realized that I couldn't move. I just didn't have the strength. _No, please, not yet…_

My eyelids fell closed slowly, and I tried to open them desperately, but they wouldn't obey. And even though I fought with all my strength, I slowly slipped into unconsciousness, with only one thing on my mind…

_Naruto… I'm sorry…_

* * *


	9. The Eternal Chase

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

Again, I am doing review replies BEFORE the story, to preserve the mood at the end of the chapter.

**Parade: **Hey, thanks for the awesome imput. You rock, so much.

**2b1b: **Um, wow, with the amount of time i took, your whole town is probably in the morgue. But thanx for all the reviews, and so so sorry for the wait!!

**Shadow of Darkness 22: **I am so sorry!!! cries... Do u forgive me?

**YamiTenshi: **Yeah, you dont wanna know what happened in Paris. A little to much cheap wine can lead to some bad things.

**Vimuku:** Uh... I really hope you dont kill yourself.

**Spirit Chu: **Again, sorry for my utter slowness. It makes me sad.

**Acheron Blake: **Thancks so much for the comment! I love positive people!

**DarkAngelKisses:** I am so sorry to keep u waiting! I loved your comment, it was way awesome.

**hamfoot: **Wow, Im glad I have the adoration of you, your laptop, and your bedroom. I just hope i still do after the enormous wait.

**Bakuras Pet: **I dont have fifteen bucks. Sowwy.

**Transient Shadow:** Thanks so much for the comment. Glad you liked the story!!

Okay, I am terribly, terribly, sorry for the wait. Theres really no excuse, except that I had a tough time writing from Naruto's PoV, when the whole story has been from Gaara's. But I hope you enjoy, the final chapter to the story Run and Hide.

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(Naruto's PoV)

The trees flashed past, nothing more than a blur of green and brown as I dashed through the forest. For just an instant, I glanced back. Just as I expected, Asuma was still behind me, yelling at me to slow down. But instead, I quickened my pace, determined not to let him catch me.

It felt weird, running from a teacher; someone I was supposed to trust. But now that he knew about the Kyuubi, I could never trust him again. I couldn't trust anyone. It would only be a matter of hours before the whole village knew about my demon, and then the Anbu Black-Ops would be after me. Even worse, the hokage would tell the other kages, and soon… there would be no where for me to hide. I would be wanted in every village of every country. Returning to Konoha was no longer an option.

Immediately, I thought of Gaara. I would never see him again… _No!_ I screamed in my head, shoving the thought from my mind. _It can't end like this. I never even got to say goodbye… _But if I wanted to see him again, I'd have to go back to Konoha. And I couldn't exactly turn around with Asuma on my tail.

Quickly, I stole a glance over my shoulder, and almost missed my next step. He was gone.

I stopped running and stood on the branch, just staring at the empty woods behind me, half expecting Asuma to pop out of the trees and ambush me at any moment.

_Was I really going that fast?_ I asked myself, bewildered. _Or did he just give up?_ Either way, Asuma was gone, leaving me standing alone in the forest. Now, I had a choice to make. I could either keep going into the forest, and head to another village where I could hide out, (at least until the word of my demon spread to their kage) or… I could go back to Konoha; for Gaara.

I smirked to myself, shaking my head. _That Gaara... I just can't get him out of my head._ I knew that if I went ahead to another village and never said goodbye to Gaara, I would regret it for the rest of my life. It would hurt Gaara so badly, and I could never live with myself for doing that.

I was pretty far into the forest, and I knew it would take almost an hour to get back, especially since I was running low on Chakra. And it didn't help that the effects of the Kyuubi were wearing off more and more by the second. So I began my journey back to Konoha, racing as fast as I could without being too loud. I was still a wanted man, and I didn't exactly want to draw attention to myself.

But somehow, someway, I made it back, in just over an hour. When I checked the gates to the village, they were surprisingly abandoned; which was weird, considering there was a potential threat on the loose. Maybe Tsunade had sent the guards out searching in the forest; searching for me.

With no time to waste, I dashed through the town, searching for the large white building I had visited so many times; Konoha General Hospital. Bursting through the front doors, I was almost trampled by a group of racing nurses. Startled, I turned to stare at where the commotion was coming from. Over by the west wing, I could hear loud banging, and then… silence. I rushed over, completely forgetting my status as wanted criminal. All I could think about was Gaara.

I reached the door, which was engulfed in shinobi and medic-nins, all pounding on it, trying to push it open. Then, right before my eyes, one of the ninja ripped the door right off its hinges.

But they still couldn't get in. Because no less than an inch behind the door, was an enormous wall of sand.

_Gaara…_

Everyone was silent. Then, from beyond the sand, there was a scream. Ringing through the halls, it seemed to echo, pounding into my head as if it was only a foot away. Maybe it really was. Everyone stood motionless. No one could move, even if they wanted to. They were completely frozen with fear.

Suddenly, something seemed to snap into place. And before anyone could even react, I was pounding on the sand, driving my fist into the compacted rock and dirt, screaming for Gaara to let me in. "Gaara, please!" I shrieked, angry tears spilling over. Slowly, the sand began to disintegrate, and I began clawing through it, shoveling handfuls of sand to the side. The hole was slowly opening up, and I dove through it, throwing myself into the room.

But it was empty.

Gaara was gone.

I fell to my knees, swearing under my breath. _No! Gaara!_ Quickly, wiping the tears from my eyes, I stood, not wanting to waste any time. He couldn't be that far ahead. I could catch him. I just had to.

I raced through the opening in the brick wall, no doubt carved with Gaara's terrifying sand. There were no footprints on the ground below me, but somehow, I knew where he had gone. There was something there, something I could not explain. It was as though my connection with Gaara were pulling me; leading me closer to him. His aura was all around me, so thick in the air it almost suffocated me. He was close, I could sense it. I could almost feel him wrapped beneath my arms again.

I was in the forest now, and his aura was becoming buried in the smell of pine trees and the late afternoon rain that had just begun to fall. Lightly, the raindrops landed on the canopy above me, creating a rhythm that seemed to scream for me to go faster. Like the ticking of a clock, counting down the seconds as every footstep brought me infinitesimally closer to my goal.

I had become so focused on Gaara's aura, though, that I did not notice the other ones around me. And without warning, I was hit from the side with a fire jutsu, knocking me off my feet and sending me tumbling through the branches. I scrambled to my feet, preparing to make a counterattack, but the shinobi had moved, and there was no way of telling where he had gone. Of course, I could have merely focused in on his aura, but then I risked loosing Gaara's, and that was a risk I was not willing to take. So I stood, in a ready position, ears perked for the slightest movement. But Tsunade knew what she was doing when she sent these ninjas after me, and she spared no one in her hunt. She had called the best of the best. And I didn't stand a chance.

Before I could blink, he fell from the trees above me, hitting me with another fire jutsu that sent me sprawling across the forest floor. I jumped up, a little too quickly, and sent a quick water jutsu back in his direction, but missed terribly. I knew I could not defeat him in one-on-one combat. My best option was to run. So, keeping myself prepared, I waited, and when he sent another fire jutsu at me, I took my chance and dodged, taking off into the trees. He was on my tail in a flash, but he was having a harder time with his jutsus now that we were moving.

I narrowly avoided a few of them, thanking god, or whoever, for my amazing luck. I continued to search for any sign of the precious red head, but his aura was beginning to fade, and it was becoming harder and harder to focus with the singes on my sides burning into my flesh. Then, just as he sent another fire attack at me, I picked the wrong time to turn around. It hit me full in the chest, and for a moment, I lost all conscious knowledge of who I was or what was happening around me. But my memory snapped back into place as my spine cracked against the hard forest floor. I heard a sickening snap, and I screamed in pain, in spite of myself. The Anbu who was pursuing me had caught up, and I watched in horror as he formed hand seals I recognized all too well. I knew that if I didn't move that instant, I would be dead. But I had no more chakra of my own. I had no choice, but to use the Kyuubi's. And just as the jutsu fired, I leapt from the ground, tackling the Anbu with full force, driving my claws into him, just as I had done so many hours ago…

I was panting, hard, and was trying with all my might to control the rabid fox that was clawing at my sanity. But with a sudden burst of strength, I took off into the branches, leaving the Anbu bleeding on the ground. I was not in such good shape myself, and I was loosing blood fast. I had broken my left arm, and the searing pain was only getting worse. I tried to deny it, but I knew that as soon as I stopped depending on the fox's chakra, my body would shut down. Knowing this, I still clawed my way forward, Gaara's aura becoming stronger with each and every step. It took what seemed like hours, but finally, amidst the pouring rain, I found him.

He looked just as beautiful as he had this morning, when I first met him what seemed like years ago. But something in him had changed. His eyes no longer held that soft, curious stare that I had fallen in love with. They were now frozen in horror, and it was then that I realized he was dead.

Everything around me seemed to collapse. The forest grew fuzzy, and all I could see was Gaara's pale face, drenched in his cold, empty stare. I fell to me knees, unable to support my own weight, let alone the weight of this crushing blow to my heart. Everything stood still, and I didn't dare to breathe. I stared into his eyes, praying that he would wake up. But he did not stir, and he did not breathe, and he did not wake up. He was not coming back. And I knew that it had been me who had killed him.

Tears slowly slid down my cheeks, melting in with the rain, pooling on the forest floor. Time was moving in slow motion, and I just could not pull my stare from his. My tears turned into sobs, and I choked through my breaths, unable to hold back the overwhelming sensation of loneliness. Instinctively, I crawled closer to him, and laid a soft hand on his cheek. It was cool, but just as soft as I had expected. I laid myself down next to him, embracing him in the last hug I knew I would ever give. The tears came faster now, uncontrollable, blurring my vision, and I sobbed into his torn shirt, begging him to come back. But there was nothing I could do. I had killed him, my best friend, and he would never get to see his family ever again. He would never again walk the halls of the school. He couldn't even feel the raindrops, soft and delicate, falling softly upon his tender skin. I buried my head in his chest, and curled up next to him, unable to leave his side.

"I will never leave you Gaara; never again. I promise. I'll be right here with you. Just please, come back to me. I need you Gaara. Please!" I begged the gods to have mercy on him, but nothing could change what had been done. And as the fox's chakra receded, and my vision began to fade, I clung to him for life, tears staining his shoulder as I slowly lost consciousness.

"Gaara," I whispered, pulling him closer though I knew he could not hear.

"I'm going with you."

* * *


	10. Loss and Gain

DISCLAIMER:

Naruto is copyrighted to the creator, Masashi Kimimoto. This story is purely fan-made and is in no way associated with the anime company or the artist who created it.

At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to make a tenth chapter or not. But so many people requested one, I decided, hey why not?

So here it is, the tenth, and FINAL chapter, no exceptions!

And yes, I know it's short. Its not really a chapter, but more of an Epilouge.

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((Iruka's PoV)) 

I stood solemnly over the grave, choking back the tears that I knew I could not hide.

It had been one year, today, since I'd lost my student, Naruto, and it didn't seem to be getting any easier. Every day, I woke up, and the waves of pain washed over me, as if it had happened only yesterday.

Not a day went by that I didn't wonder where he was now, or how he was doing. I wished I could see him, ask him how he was, and talk with him again, just like old times. But I stared at the slowly-fading numbers carved into the stone, and they reminded me that he was not coming home. Not today, not tomorrow, and not ever.

But today, and just like every other day, I wiped the tears from my eyes, easing my pain with this one solid fact:

Wherever he was, Gaara was with him.

I smiled, as the sun slowly crept over the hilltop, casting its tender rays onto the cemetery. Yes, he and Gaara where together. I could feel it.

Quietly, I knelt down at the grave of my student, and at the accompanying grave next to it, and softly traced the words with my fingers.

NARUTO UZUMAKI

October 10th, 1993 – September 12th, 2007

SABAKU NO GAARA

January 19th, 1993 – September 12th, 2007

REST IN PEACE

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Yes, I know it was short, but it was kind of just a little summary to tie everything together. Alright, well, I really really hope everyone enjoyed the story! I'm done with this one, but I have a GaaHina one going, and also a sort of post-Sasusaku one also in progress. 

Oh, and I've also started a c2! It's called "The Tanuki and the Fox" and as you can tell, it's a compilation of GaaNaru or NaruGaa fanfictions. If you'd like to join, or be a staff member, send me a message, please! It's new, and needs people! Here's the URL, if anybody's interested.

h t t p / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / c o m m u n i t y / T h e T a n u k i a n d T h e F o x / 4 9 2 3 5 /

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story. I hope to hear from you again!

Much Love,

Suna.Tenma


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